Behind the pink ‘heart' of young and pure lies shampoos and soaps made with mint, mandarin and even broccoli, and its brand new eye make-up remover is made with ginger root and coconut oil.

The company behind these products is young and pure which turned over £150,000 in its first year and, since then have hit the £1m mark with distribution as wide as the United States. Not bad for a company that started out with a lone woman based in Suffolk.

When Lianne Miller, founder and MD of young and pure, started what was to become a lifestyle quest she did not know anything about the beauty industry.

She researched on the Internet by talking to people, going to trade shows, exhibitions, approaching chemists, trialled product and tested them on focus groups and researched what should go into the products.

"People were gradually gaining knowledge about the importance of natural products," Lianne avowals, speaking quickly with her South African lilt, "but the masses just don't know what is in the products that they are using."

Lianne decided it was time to take action and wanted to focus on on giving young girls the option of using organic products necessary to their health.

But she hit a brick wall she did not expect. "Manufacturers turned me away saying that it wasn't affordable, so it was, and is, as much about educating the market as it is advertising the products themselves. We had to work hard."

However, the journey of campaigning for a down-to-earth, holistic brand also meant taking huge financial risk. "It's a market where women still have to fight harder than men to be heard and right now, with the economy fraught with instability and uncertainty, the world is watching the pennies."

She launched the company in 2006 with products that now include a face cleanser, body scrub, conditioner, face mask and face moisturiser, are 100% chemical free; no toxins, no synthetics and made from plant extracts - the first natural solution for teenage skin, hair and face care. "We created the awareness and started building on store shelves," she says.

Ever-expanding and drawing on demand and new ideas to increase and enhance the range, the company's products are stacked in Harrods, Debenhams, Fenwick and can also be purchased across a number of websites, including Amazon.

They are packaged in white bottles and tubs with the pink, clean-cut young and pure logo and each product has its own unique, flowery design. All products are specifically deigned for teenage skin, skin that is prone to breakouts of spots and grease.

"The reaction has been fantastic," enthuses Lianne." Girls thank us for providing products that are user friendly and one they can actually afford."

They are also targeting older generations of women and not deterred by the bright pink packaging, boys have used the range too! Smiling, Lianne says, "We know that the package isn't boy-friendly, so we are developing a boy's range for 2009 which will look better suited on a boy's shelf."

By Jo Burge

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